St. John's University Athletics
St. John's University
10-9, 3-5BE
Marquette
16-6, 6-3BE
| Team | 1 | 2 | F |
|---|---|---|---|
| St. John's | 26 | 35 | 61 |
| Marquette | 29 | 52 | 81 |
Golden Eagles Down Red Storm, 81-61
2/1/2006 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Feb. 1, 2006
MILWAUKEE (AP) - Steve Novak scored 29 points, including six 3-pointers, as Marquette beat St. John's 81-61 Wednesday night.
The Golden Eagles (16-6, 6-3 Big East) hit four straight 3-pointers, including three by Novak, to erase a 1-point St. John's lead early in the second half.
After St. John's took a 36-35 lead on a string of three easy inside baskets and a pair of free throws by Daryll Hill, Novak hit 3-pointers on back-to-back possessions, putting the Golden Eagles back ahead 41-36.
Marquette forward Dan Fitzgerald hit another 3-pointer, extending the lead to 44-36.
Novak then hit another 3-pointer and was fouled on the play. He made the free throw to put the Golden Eagles ahead 48-36 with 12:43 remaining.
The Red Storm later narrowed Marquette's lead to 61-51 on Eugene Lawrence's 3-pointer with 4:20 left but turned the ball over on the next possession.
It was Novak's second-highest scoring effort of the season. He scored 41 in Marquette's Jan. 3 upset of Connecticut. It also broke a shooting slump; nursing an injured ankle, Novak shot only 3-of-8 from 3-point range in the Golden Eagles' last two games.
Anthony Mason Jr. had 14 points to lead the Red Storm (10-9, 3-5).
Freshman guard Dominic James, playing with a brace on his injured right shoulder, added 16 points for the Golden Eagles.
Fellow freshman guard Wesley Matthews, who missed Marquette's last eight games with a stress fracture on his right foot, entered the game with 12:23 remaining in the first half and immediately took a hard foul from Lamont Hamilton. Matthews shot 0-for-3 and did not score.
Marquette led 25-17 after a 3-pointer by Novak, but St. John's ended the half on a 9-4 run to whittle Marquette's lead to 29-26 at halftime.
